KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia has launched the largest drone attack on Ukraine since the start of the more than three-year war, according to a Ukrainian official. This aggressive bombardment took place overnight on Sunday, involving 355 drones, as reported by Yuriy Ihnat, the head of the Ukrainian air force’s communications department. Additionally, Russian forces fired nine cruise missiles during this assault, which resulted in some injuries among civilians, although no immediate fatalities were reported.
Earlier, on Saturday night, Ukraine faced a massive combined drone-and-missile attack that claimed at least 12 lives and injured dozens. Ukrainian officials characterized this bombardment as the largest aerial assault conducted by Russia during the ongoing conflict, utilizing 69 missiles of various types and 298 drones. The verification of these figures remains pending, and there has been no immediate response from Russian authorities.
The United States, together with European leaders, continues to push for an end to the hostilities, but efforts to broker peace and negotiate a ceasefire have yielded little success. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his growing impatience with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating in a recent social media post that Putin has "gone absolutely CRAZY!" Trump criticized the Kremlin's ongoing attacks on Ukrainian cities, asserting that they are "needlessly killing a lot of people" and are unwarranted.
Trump warned that should Putin seek to conquer all of Ukraine, it would ultimately lead to the "downfall of Russia." He also expressed frustration with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, suggesting that Zelenskyy's rhetoric is not benefiting his country amidst the ongoing crisis.
Amidst the escalated military actions, a noteworthy event took place on Sunday with a substantial prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine. Both sides exchanged 303 soldiers following the release of 307 combatants and civilians each on Saturday and 390 on Friday, marking the largest total exchange of the war thus far. Earlier in the month, during peace talks held in Istanbul — which marked the first face-to-face discussions between the two nations — agreements were made for the swap of 1,000 prisoners of war and civilian detainees each. However, this exchange remains the only significant outcome from the negotiations.
The situation continues to unfold as the world watches the ongoing conflict and its implications. As the drone and missile assaults escalate, the humanitarian toll remains high, and the quest for a peaceful resolution appears increasingly daunting.
